Should more time be invested in the first 10 questions?

[Arjun51]

Hey!

Can anyone please state whether it is true that we need to invest more time in the first 10 questions of both PS and Verbal as these contribute more to our score than the rest of the questions?

In the official guide, it's written that this is a myth, but many people say that this is true!

Best,
Arjun

[StaceyKoprince]

This is indeed a myth. People who say this do not understand how computer adaptive testing (CAT) works. They're trying to apply their "intuitive" knowledge, but our intuitive testing knowledge is based on taking non-adaptive paper tests—a very different thing. We have reviewed the academic books, papers, and patents on CAT, and we have discussed this extensively with GMAC. It's a myth.

The earlier questions are not worth more than the later ones. The only questions that are worth slightly less, in the end, are the couple of easiest and couple of hardest questions that you face throughout a section. They are discounted as "outliers" in your performance, particularly if your performance on those questions was at odds with your overall performance. In other words, if you get a couple of easy ones wrong but, overall, your performance is much higher, then those 1-2 questions won't count against you as much. On the flip side, if you get a couple of very hard ones right, but your overall performance is much lower, then those 1-2 questions won't contribute to lifting your score as much.

We had a teacher once go into the real thing and get the first 7 questions wrong in a row. (She didn't just guess. She solved to make sure she was choosing incorrect answers.) Then, she took the rest of the section normally. She usually scores a perfect 51 on quant; she scored a 48 or 49 (I forget now). So she was able to recover almost completely. And it's not surprising that she didn't get all the way to 51—after all, she did get at least 7 questions wrong, a lot of which were lower level, by definition. You can't miss many easier questions and still score a 51, regardless of where those 7 questions are located.

[Arjun51]

Got it! Thanks a lot Stacey for sharing this valuable information!

Also, I would like to tell you that I have my GMAT next week, ie, on 16/11 and was just analyzing my score assessment reports (based on my last 3 CATs) and found that in the Quant section, almost all of my weaknesses are due to the high difficulty levels (700-800) of questions that I got, due to which my "percentage correct" for certain sections was significantly low.

For example:

1. Number properties:
% Correct=43; Avg Difficulty correct=640; Avg Difficulty incorrect=740; Avg Time correct=1:33; Avg time incorrect=2:08
2. Word problems:
% Correct=38; Avg Difficulty correct=680; Avg Difficulty incorrect=720; Avg Time correct=2:04; Avg time incorrect=2:10
3. Algebra:
% Correct=50; Avg Difficulty correct=670; Avg Difficulty incorrect=720; Avg Time correct=1:31; Avg time incorrect=2:09
4. Geometry:
% Correct=63; Avg Difficulty correct=710; Avg Difficulty incorrect=730; Avg Time correct=2:15; Avg time incorrect=2:12
5. Fractions, Decimals, Percents:
% Correct=70; Avg Difficulty correct=680; Avg Difficulty incorrect=710; Avg Time correct=1:57; Avg time incorrect=2:20

So, does this mean that I DO NOT have any significant weakness in Quant? Also, what shall I do for my quant section now?

Moreover, can you please have a look at my Verbal score reports and let me know what you think of these?

1. SC: % Correct=67; Avg Difficulty correct=630; Avg Difficulty incorrect=700; Avg Time correct=1:27; Avg time incorrect=1:30
2. CR: % Correct=37; Avg Difficulty correct=630; Avg Difficulty incorrect=700; Avg Time correct=1:47; Avg time incorrect=1:59
3. RC: % Correct=50; Avg Difficulty correct=650; Avg Difficulty incorrect=680; Avg Time correct=1:55; Avg time incorrect=2:37

Looking forward to your response!
Arjun

[StaceyKoprince]

If you are only missing 700+ level questions, then yes, you don't have any huge / glaring weaknesses in that area.

If you still want to lift your score from there, then you have to go look at the ones you missed and ask yourself:
– Any careless mistakes? Build new habits to write out / do that kind of math in order to minimize the specific types of careless mistakes you are making.
– Any legit wrong but you understand the explanation? Learn it!
– Any legit wrong and you don't understand the explanation (or don't think you can reasonably learn it)? Learn how to identify something like this faster so that you can bail and save time for the first two categories, above.

Your verbal data indicates that CR is lagging behind and that SC is strong. So focus on CR and RC (again, if you are still trying to lift your score).

In general, though, be aware of this: Your performance level 1 week out is about what your performance level is going to be on the real thing. You aren't going to significantly change your score in that time. If you aren't happy with your current scoring level, it's better to postpone.

Here's what I recommend doing for the final week:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2016/09/ ... mat-part-1

Good luck!

[Arjun51]

Hey Stacey,

Thanks for your reply! Can you also let me know that how seriously do B schools take the IR score in comparison to the overall GMAT score?

[StaceyKoprince]

I think the vast majority of schools (if not all) still prioritize the Total score and possibly the Q subscore over the others. I would guess that, for most schools, the IR is still on the level of: a plus for the overall application if you're at 6-8 and a minus if you're at 1-3.

Caveat: My area of expertise is the test itself, not admissions. Feel free to ask this same question in the Ask An Admissions Consultant folder.